Ethical Treatment of Individuals at the End of Life

End of life care is a complex and ethically fraught topic. In order to maximize the potential of dietitians to supporting excellent end of life care, dietitians need to be aware of how the American medical system and American cultural norms have shaped our current way of providing end of life care, alternative options of palliative care, and how the four principles of biomedical ethics help health care providers better frame decisions and work more effectively to ensure that end of life care matches the goals and values of the individuals we care for.

This session will give an overview of palliative care and hospice; review the four principles of biomedical ethics and relate them to the 2018 RD Code of Ethics; and discuss how to apply them to making decisions with patients and their families about end of life care. This session is presented by a nurse practitioner and registered dietitian nutritionist who will discuss the importance of a strong team to maximize positive outcomes in end of life care.

CPE Level: Level 2
CPEU: 1.0

Performance Indicators

• 1.1.6 Recognizes and manages situations with ethical implications.
• 1.3.1 Applies strategies that engage the customer in a collaborative approach.
• 2.2.4 Collaborates with others when the required skill is beyond his/her competence.

Learning Objectives

• Participants will be able to describe why end of life care in the US presents ethical challenges based on American medical culture, and identify benefits of alternative palliative care models.
• Identify the four main biomedical ethical principles and describe how they relate to the 2018 code of ethics for dietitians
• Participants will apply biomedical ethics to case studies and asses the role of the dietitian in helping patients and their families at end of life to make nutrition related decisions.

Speakers

• Lisa Brown
• Jennifer Howard